The man pulled out a piece of lingerie and held it up against me, chuckling as he sized me up.
I curled into myself, trying to shrink away. Something filthy was shoved into my mouth. I knew exactly what it was.
With every ounce of strength I had left, I bit down. The man let out a shriek, kicking me hard in the stomach.
Pain caught me in its palm as my head snapped back, slamming against the steps. Warm blood trickled down my pale face.
Abigail suddenly dropped to the ground in the most dramatic way, clawing at her own dress. She clutched at her chest as she sobbed.
Victor had been so frantic that he trampled over my hand as he rushed to his knees before Abigail, carefully wiping away her tears.
"Abby, what's wrong? It pains me to see you cry."
Abigail’s eyes were red and puffy. She curled her shoulders inward, looking as fragile as a frightened fawn.
"Brother, don’t blame Faith. This isn’t her fault."
Victor shot a glance at me, crumpled on the floor. His fury simmered beneath the surface, but his voice remained gentle as he coaxed her.
"Alright, I won’t blame her. Just tell me what happened."
Abigail let out a breath, as if relieved. "I came to comfort her, but she said it wasn’t fair that she had been humiliated alone. She called over some obsessed fan of hers to force a kiss on me… to defile me… even threatened to take nude photos of me."
Victor didn’t see my torn clothes, nor the blood dripping steadily from my forehead, nor the fingers he had just crushed underfoot. All he saw was the faintest red mark on Abigail’s chest—so light it was nearly invisible.
Fury filled in his eyes. His palm cracked across my face. "Faith, I’ve never let Abby suffer even the slightest grievance. How dare you use such disgusting tricks to hurt her? I should’ve never saved you back then—I should’ve let those stalkers do whatever they wanted to you!"
I shook my head desperately. Tears slipped into my lips, salty and bitter.
"Victor, you don’t believe me? You know how much I hate them—how could I ever—"
"You weren’t screaming about hate when you were on your knees, were you?" Victor’s face was dark, his laugh cold and mocking.
So, he had seen everything. Seen Abigail press me beneath her heel like I was nothing but an insect. Seen those men pin me down like I was filth beneath their hands.
Back then, he was the hero who had saved me. Now, he was the one offering me up to the wolves.